Are humanoid robots about to become a part of military operations? Sounds unbelievable, right? But not anymore! And that’s because Ukraine has just announced a new grant competition to develop humanoid robots for its armed forces. 

Ukraine is taking yet another major step in the field of humanoid robotics. They are now planning to deploy humanoid robots in the military. And to do so, the country has launched a grant competition. The reason why they want to deploy humanoid robots is to automate frontline operations that prove to be dangerous for human beings. 

This initiative is led by Brave1, which is basically Ukraine’s state-backed defense technology cluster. It has become the country’s primary platform for supporting military innovation. The announcement was made by Brave1 head Andrii Hrytseniuk during the Brave1 Advantage event. During the event, Hrytseniuk said that this program is supposed to provide funding for the development of humanoid robots that are specifically designed keeping the battlefield in mind.

Unlike the ground robots Ukraine already uses, these new humanoid robots are designed to work in places built for humans. They could climb stairs, open doors, carry supplies, rescue injured soldiers, and perform dangerous tasks in damaged buildings and trenches.

This project is a part of Ukraine’s plan that aims to use as many robotic systems as possible in order to reduce the risk for human soldiers. Even currently, Ukraine is using unmanned technologies for logistics and reconnaissance along with casualty evacuation and combat support. And in fact, this year, thousands more ground robots are expected to become part of the military. 

As per the officials, the purpose of this humanoid robot competition is to encourage Ukrainian startups and defense technology companies to develop next-generation robotic platforms. In the future, these robots can join hands with the existing unmanned systems and can contribute significantly to military operations. The grant program is expected to speed up innovation as well as strengthen Ukraine’s defense technology sector.

The timing of this announcement is of great value. And that’s because, as we all know, giants like China and the US are already ahead in the race for robotics. They are not at all coming slow in terms of investing in this field. These countries are not using humanoid robots for industrial purposes only. In fact, they are using this technology in their defense sectors too. Ukrainian officials believe that battlefields are being automated quickly. And in order to stay ahead in the competition, it is super important that we focus on automating our military operations too. 

For now, there’s no specified timeline announced for the deployment of these robots on the battlefield. However, this competition surely reveals that Ukraine does aim to develop such robots that can perform tasks that traditional robotic vehicles find hard to do. And if they succeed in their mission, this will definitely prove to be a milestone in Ukraine’s rapidly growing defence robotics industry.